Wright-Patt takes a mid-tour look at status of continuing education drive

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB Ohio --  Secretaries of education, mentors and personnel from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's Education Office gathered at the base theater at Kittyhawk Center, Area A, Sept. 1 to review progress made to date during the Year of the Community College of the Air Force emphasis, which kicked off in February.

Air Force Materiel Command leadership had set a goal of increasing CCAF degree holders throughout the major command by 10 percent during 2011, it was announced at that kickoff.

The CCAF provides degree program opportunities to AF enlisted members serving on active duty, reserves or in the Guard. By law, degrees cannot be awarded to members after they separate or retire.

Chief Master Sgt. Eric Jaren, AFMC command chief and the guest speaker, thanked the audience, saying, "You can see the impact we're making."

Chief Jaren outlined three reasons to pursue education, despite naysayers who question it.

First, holding a CCAF degree - especially designed for enlisted personnel - keeps one's career on track, Chief Jaren said.

"I've seen good senior NCOs say 'It's too much,' and their career falls off-track," he said. "The Year of the CCAF is meant to sweep in and encourage those junior enlisted, encourage the senior NCOs who haven't done it, to stay on track. It just makes the rest so much easier."

Second, after earning one's CCAF degree, continuing education allows people to achieve their full potential, he said. "CCAF is so important within the Air Force, and it's important outside of the Air Force for jobs that need an associate degree," Chief Jaren said. "But once you've earned a CCAF degree, you need to continue on to your bachelor's." Third, "Education and continuing education allow you to live the modern-day American dream," he said. "In this complex, business-minded, technological society, you gotta have the skills and the education to go with it."

WPAFB has acquitted itself well in comparison with other bases in terms of CCAF degrees:

· There are more than 700 mentors across AFMC; 184 of them are at Wright-Patt.

· There are 50 secretaries of education across the command; 39 of them are at this base.

Other statistics worth noting:

· Of Wright-Patt's 184 mentors, 39 are "dual hats" - secretaries of education, too;

· 300-plus college classes taken in first two quarters of 2011;

· 103-plus CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests passed;

· 142 CCAFs awarded (64 more to date than same point in 2010); 18 more await final approval from Air University;

· 40 percent increase in graduates, with four months to go;

Master Sgt. Alan Braden, career assistance advisor, AFMC Force Support Squadron, told the audience of mentors and secretaries of education, "You are doing great things for your Airmen.

"We are better percentage-wise than 61 bases," he said.

Sergeant Braden outlined the marketing initiatives Wright-Patt personnel are using to support the CCAF push.

They include a Facebook page, a mobile advising team, education fairs, community of practice and brand-new gold and silver coins.

Every Airman who graduates during the Year of CCAF will receive a silver coin, Sergeant Braden said. Mentors, secretaries of education and others who go above and beyond supporting the YoCCAF at Wright-Patt will receive gold coins, he said.

Chief Jaren, called the "granddaddy" of Wright-Patt's initiative by Sergeant Braden, was awarded the first coin, which he then gave to Shelly Owczarski, chief of voluntary education programs and library programs, AFMC, in recognition of her support. Chief Jaren awarded an AFMC Command Chief coin to Sergeant Braden, who gave Chief Jaren's command chief coin to Pam Fiorito, general education and training technician, 88 FSS. Sergeant Braden also was recognized by Senior Master Sgt. Jeff Johnson, flight chief mental health, 88th Air Base Wing Medical Group, for all his efforts supporting the CCAF initiative.

Other coin recipients included Staff Sgt. Glory Barker, Staff Sgt. Joseph Maynard, Staff Sgt. Mary Fessner-Tarjany, Staff Sgt. Richard Crites, Tech. Sgt. Kim Drummond, Tech. Sgt. Monica Jones, Master Sgt. William Grates and Sergeant Johnson.

Sergeant Braden encouraged the mentors and education secretaries to take their Airmen to the base education office and utilize the base's resources like the library, tuition assistance and education specialists.

"The CCAF is a culture; it's a way of life," Sergeant Braden said in closing. "We have to grow our Air Force. I can tell you that less than 20 percent of our entire enlisted corps has a degree, but yet if I ping FTAC (First Term Airmen Center) Airmen, 100 percent of them will say they came into the Air Force to go to school. So get out there and change the culture. It's our force; it's our replacements. So grow them. Somebody will be the next command chief of AFMC. Who do you want it to be? Somebody who you grow and develop."